In the news

Ageist policies hit older women: WIJ

Share this

Older female journalists may be losing out on work because of ageist employers, according to Women in Journalism.

The group has collected anecdotal evidence that suggests older women are finding it harder to get work, or keep their jobs, than younger women or men of the same age.

In order to address the issue, WIJ has asked women journalists to fill out a questionnaire on the subject.

Good Housekeeping editor-in-chief and WIJ chairwoman Lindsay Nicholson said: “What we’re hearing is that older women are being denied opportunities on the assumption that they must be wanting to downshift and have a less stressful life.

“But the truth is that early retirement is no longer an option for most people. Both men and women need to work until they are at least 60, or 65 to provide for their old age.

“We need to know if these are isolated cases or an industry-wide problem so we need as big a response to our survey as possible.”